Is singing a political act? Join us for a night of film screenings and a panel discussion including Why We Sing an award-winning film exploring the transformative power of lesbian, gay and transgender choral music and navigating the history of this 30-year-old movement. The film’s focal point is GALA Choruses’ (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses) 7th International Choral festival. Through song and interviews, this fascinating documentary delves into and personalises many issues on the public’s mind today: same-sex marriage, religious views on gay rights, and the emerging trans-gender rights movement. Join the panel discussion led by a special guest speaker as we explore issues and topics arising from singing and self-expression, music and politics. We then move to the film I Could Go On Singing, a rare chance to see Judy’s last film in which she plays singer Jenny Bowman, a character not a million miles away from the real Judy.
Discussion chaired by Jonathan Keane
Panel: Sophie Fuller, Lawrence Bud Dillon and Steve Bustin
Jonathan Keane
Jonathan Keane is former Senior Programmer for the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival as well as former Artistic Director of Queer Up North. He is a freelance writer and journalist.
Sophie Fuller
Sophie Fuller studied music at King’s College, London University where she completed her doctoral thesis on Women Composers during the British Musical Renaissance, 1880 - 1918. For ten years she was a lecturer in music at the University of Reading and is the author of The Pandora Guide to Women Composers : Britain and the United States, 1629-present (1994). She is co-editor of and contributor to two recent collections of essays – with Lloyd Whitesell, Queer Episodes in Music and Modern Identity (2002) and with Nicky Losseff, The Idea of Music in Victorian Fiction (2004) – and currently serves on the editorial board of the journal twentieth-century music.
Lawrence Bud Dillon
‘Bud,’ as he is known to his friends in the chorus, is a television professional with over 15 years experience. He has worked for PBS and Cable TV Stations as producer, director, editor and cameraman on a wide variety of programs including several documentaries. Whose Body, Whose Rights, aired on PBS and won several national film festival awards.Mr. Dillon has also worked as a freelance editor in Los Angeles. When he joined the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, he was presented the opportunity to combine his filmmaking talents and love of music. Flash Gordon – Queen of the Universe a sci-fi music video for the SFGMC Queen concert in 2002, was a hit at the SF International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Home for the Holidays won the national Hometown Video Award for performing arts. He currently produces, directs and instructs at San Francisco’s public access television station and he still sings with the chorus.
Steve Bustin
Steve Bustin is a stand-up comedian, compere and presenter who has been performing at act nights and comedy clubs around London and the South East for two years. He runs and comperes Bright’n’Queer the Brighton Gay stand up comedy show. Steve has also acted as compere for the London Gay Men’s Chorus at venues across the capital.
